Dodge City times., 1887-12-29
KANSAS APpoRTIoMMenT-


0ovarnor MARITIME Amswer to . Corro--
apondent on This subject.
ToPEKA, Kan, Dec. 23-G0vernor Mar
tin has recently received several letters
with reference to questions growing out OF
the new apportiorment. which takes place.
every five years in the State. He does not
:hink an extra session OF the Legislature
advisable. The Legislature has known all
along Of the inequalities that exist, but has.
taken no steps to effect = remedy. Gov
ernor Martins letter to one OF his corre--
spondents is as follows:
TOPEKA, Kan, Dec. 81, 1885,.
Hon. W. D. Pratt, JsfmOrs, Kaa.:
MY DEAR SIR: have received yours Of the
18th inst. in which you urge that q special ses-
sion Of the Legislature should be called this
winter because, first, sixty or seventy thou
sand citizens Of newly organized counties are.
deprived by the constitution and laws IS they
now are, Of any vote In the law-making body Of
the State:" and second, several Of the laws OF
Kansas are sadly in need Of revision.
I recognize. fully, the Inequalities Of our
present basis of representation in the House of
Representatives, but / doubt very much
whether new apport'onment could be made
this winter, even II the Legislature was con-
vened. and am certain that such an appor.ion-
ment could not correct the inequalities Of our
present system. Our State constitution pro-
in the year 1885, and every five years thereafter
based upon the census OF the preceding
year" To secure y compliance with this con-
stitutional provision, convened the Legisla-
ture m extra session in January. 1886, and that
body made new appOrtionment- based on the
census of 1885. But the inequalities OF repre-
sentation are as glaring now as they were be-
fore this appOrtionment was made, and. in my
judgment, they would be equally conspicuous
and obnoxious il another apportiOnnent could.
be made this winter, based on the census Of
1857
The truth is that no fair and just apportion-
ment is possible under the provisions of our
present organic law. Our constitution, while
providing that 1.-The House OF Representatives
shall admit one member from each county
in which ut least two hundred and fifty
legal votes were cast" and that leach organized.
county shall have ut least one Representative"
also declares that 1.-The number OF Representa-
tives shall never exceed one hundred and twen-
ty-fve." The population Of the State. at the
date OF the last census-March ], 1sS.-was
l.o1s 255, A fair and equal basis of representa-
tiOn for a House Of one hundred and twenty
five members the constitutional limit would
therefore, be one member for each 12.1;6 lnhab-
ltants There are, ut present, one hundred and
two organized counties in Kansas, and four
others will probably be organized during the
next year. OF these, eighty-seven counties
have, under the present apportionment, one or
more Representatives. and fifteen counties.
now organized, will have no vote in the next
Legislature. twenty-five counties each have
two Representatives. viz Atchison, Jefrer-
son, WyandOtte, Douglas, Franklin. Miami.
Bourbon, Crawford, Cherokee, Montgomery.
NeOsho. Usage, Nemaha. Marshall. Pottawato--
mie. Lyon, Butler. Marion, Dickinson, Wash
ingtOn, Republic, Cloud, Mcpherson, Reno AMI
Jewell. Five counties. Labette, Shawnee,
Sadty Job h,,.
Representatives,; and one county. Leaven-
worth, has four. The least populous of the
counties having two Representatives. Jeffer-
son, has IL, ,s66 inhabitants: the most populous,
Wyandotte, has 37 SOS. OF the counties having
three Representatives. the least populous. La
bette, has 2s, 1Sj inhabitants; the most popu--
lous, Sedgwick, has ~ ,s33 give the census of
1887
The fifteen counties organized since the ap-
pOrtionment of 1886 was made had populations,
at the date Of the last census. or the date of
their organization if made since that time, as
fOllOwS.